Mark Baratelli's Improv Cabaret at the 2006 Orlando Fringe Festival

2007-01-02T11:18:00.000-08:00

Filmed 8/06 at the Parliament Cabaret Room

Download File

Reminder: I've moved blogs!

2006-08-10T12:44:00.000-07:00

I'm currently blogging about the show (and myself) on my myspace blog. You don't have to be a mysapce user to view or link to it, but if you are, subscribe and keep up with the show as it moves from obscurity to...whever it ends up!

The blog you are at right now is a journal from when I mounted the first production of the show at the Orlando International Fringe Festival in 2006. I'd never put on a show before, let alone a solo piece, so I wanted to take notes throughout the process so I'd remember my '"first time," as it were.

Thanks!

Mark

A week till Fringe

2006-05-13T21:57:00.000-07:00

Podcast: One week till Fringe

Listen Now:

Or download it:
one_week.mp3

Show Notes:
-driving home from two James Newport shows
-People ask me "How are rehearsals going?" and I don't know what to say
-People have started hanging posters
-I am terrified (and dramatic). "I have the confidence of a gnome."

Podcast Appearance: Radio Rickshaw

2006-05-11T18:10:00.000-07:00

Rickshaw_featuring_me.mp3

My appearance on the popular podcast Radio Rickshaw was a total blast. John, Don and Digbey really made me feel at ease...so much so I let slip a few secrets here and there. Maybe it was them, and maybe it was the cocktail(s).

Mp3 of Rehearsal: Momma is Mean

2006-05-07T08:07:00.000-07:00

Listen now:

Or Download it:
momma_is_mean_rehearsal.mp3

Francisco and Charles sit in on a rehearsal. This is a clip in which I describe me leaving my Mother's house in the middle of the night. She sang a song to me that was, well, evil.

MP3 of Rehearsal: Talent Contest

2006-05-06T23:12:00.000-07:00

Listen Now:

Or Download it:
talent_contest.mp3

Francisco and Charles sit in on a rehearsal. This is a clip in which I describe my trials and tribulations of putting together my act for the elementary school talent show in which I dress up as Annie and sing "Tomorrow." Fighting ensues.

"How Do You Feel?" blog and podcast NEW!

2006-05-06T08:28:00.000-07:00

I want to direct you to a new podcast of mine called "How Do You Feel?" It features a life-coach character I play named Mark Baratelli. Each show starts off by asking the question, "How do you feel?" And if you don't answer "Great!" you are missing out on life.

Listen Now:

Listen to the mp3

Bye bye blog

2006-05-01T01:02:00.000-07:00

Please go to my current blog. I am no longer posting here, but this is where a lot of posts from last year are stored: the ones about applying to Fringe, getting in, brainstorming the show, rehearsing...it's all here. Please take time to read it if you are curious about putting on a Fringe show or just want to know what it's like a for first-time Fringer.

All further posting is being done at my current blog. After keeping four blogs and finally saying to my self "WTF!?" I am now condensing. It seems, through tiral and error, observation and partly total guessing, that my blogging will have a better chance of being read on mypace then here.

Please go to my current blog and keep up with the show!

Thanks

-Mark

website ** blog ** podcast ** Maupin's blog

3:34am myspace marathon

2006-05-01T00:45:00.000-07:00

Rehearsal today was good. I had a small audience of SAK students waiting to come in for their 4pm class. They seemed to like what they saw, which was nice. It's 3:45am and i have been working on the new look for my myspace page all night. I am now going to transfer the look to my show page. I made my personal myspace page look like a show page because, well, people are going to both and right now this is a very important thing (the show) going on in my life, so completely changing the page, ithink is warranted.

One thing that took forever was updating the podcast feed. For months it's had like 12 songs on it. I hadn't updated it. Toonight I conected all of my audioblog posts to the podcast. So now there's oodles of content. The only things missing are the dates for each post. And I do not think I say the dates in the posts. But, maybe I can do that later. I just wanted, for now, to have audio of me talking about the show up there from all the months of me...talking about the show.

I just confirmed an interview on "Radio Rickshaw" for May 9th at 8pm. So that's two podcasts I will be appearing on now. Woohoo. The first one is this gay one on friday at noon.

I really do not want to make flyers and posters. I want everything to be online. It's so much easier for me. But my due date for flyers is Thursday. They have to go out Thursday for printing so they are back in time for the Fringe Gala, which I don't really want to go to. I enjoy this kind of promotion...the myspace and internet stuff. But hnding out flyers...not my thing. Just not comfortable with it. And I think it's a legitimate concern. it's like anything. If people come to you, seeking out information about you, that's one thing. But if you go and shove shit in peoples' faces, being all obnoxious....and 60 other people are doing the same thing..how much fun is that for the guests?

Anyways, I am taking a break. I just realized, now that I have the myspace blog, why do I need this blog? I can just update that one. Maybe I will take the link down and people can just read the newer one.

Maupin's blog post ** podcast ** website ** blog ** myspace

Fringe preview: Xanadu on the podcast

2006-04-25T19:09:00.000-07:00

Watch now:

Download:
Xanadu_improv_cabaret.mov

I got the video of Xanadu onto the podcast.

Fringe Preview: Xanadu on Youtube

2006-04-25T18:25:00.000-07:00

blog ** podcast ** xanadu ** Maupin ** website ** myspace

Fringe Preview: Xanadu photos from video

2006-04-25T17:28:00.000-07:00

Last night Christian, the boys from Slothco and I did Xanadu for the almost-sold-out Fring Preview show at the Orlando Shakespeare Festival building. I have to say that this is the craziest thing I have ever done. I think the video speaks for itself.

Xanadu video ** Maupin's blog post ** podcast ** website ** blog ** myspace

2006-04-24T20:02:00.000-07:00

This is like me leaving you a voice mail, giving you an update as to how rehearsals are going, what I am working on at the moment and any late developments having to do with the show. Take a listen, partner!

-Mark

MP3 File

2006-04-24T06:08:00.000-07:00

Another "Improv Cabaret"?

2006-04-23T20:18:00.000-07:00

There's another show with the same title as mine. Here's the listing:

IMPROV CABARET: One night only. You mean they don't even write it down? What a joke. Rendezvous, 2320 Second Ave, 441-5823. $5. Sun Oct 5 at 8 pm.

There's no link to the venue so I don't know what the show is like. It looks like improvised standup or just straight up improv.

Maupin's blog post ** podcast ** website ** blog ** myspace

Marketing Thoughts

2006-04-23T20:07:00.000-07:00

So I was thinking today, "How could I generate more press for my show?" And I thought, "What else do I do that would be newsworthy?" I thought of two things: I ride my bike to work. Gas is expensive right now and orlando is certainly a car-centric town. Maybe they might want to do a story on someone who takes it upon himself to try something different. Also, I think the writer could find other bikers who bike to work, and possibly encourage non-bikers to try it. It's a hard sell, but it seemed like an interesting and topical article to write.

Another newsworthy thing I thought of is the fact that I tired to start a podcasting meetup group and no one "met up." Is podcasting not happening in orlando? If so, why not? I thought it might be interesting to se my struggle to conect with other podcasters.

Both of these stories are relevant and, depending on the writer, have the possibility for public interest. I have something to gain in offering these stories because, hoepfully, I could mention my show at least once. If not, then the article still is interesting and relevant.

Also on the marketing topic, I have been ruminating about how much I do not want to bother people at the Fringe by shoving poscards in peoples' faces and telling people about my show. I know Beth Marshall tells us all to do this, but I have heard that doing otherwise might be a better idea.

My original goal was to build up buzz about my show early so I wouldn't have to do this. And one way to build buzz is to perform in the Fringe Preview show, which is tomorrow night. I have an act, a three-minute act, that is strange and bizzare and not like my show. And this worries me. I do preface it with a prepared speech about this fact. But, it's still weird. I practice it in my living room thinking, "This is weird." However, I also am sometimes not the best judge on if I am doing something well. I am hard on myself most of the time. So, my piece could be good for all I know.

I finished themusic tonight and I love it. It's very strange and different. With the visual of the other performers, I think I will blend right in with Fringe. Not my goal, but it's hat I am doing.

-Mark

Maupin's blog post ** podcast ** website ** blog ** myspace

You have a face for billboards

2006-04-23T18:22:00.000-07:00

The Gaydays billboards will be up May 1 in front of the Parliament House and some church. Also, the magazine will be going to print this week. So excited. In case you are new to the blog, about a month ago a guy taking classes at SAK asked me if I would pose for some photos for the official magazine for Gay Days. I was like "Heck yeah!" Then later they told us the pics would be used on a billboard. I was like "I'll beleive it when I see it. Well, we're about to see it. And what better timing could this be than weeks before Fringe? Love it!

Maupin's blog post ** podcast ** website ** blog ** myspace

Beyond angry

2006-04-22T17:18:00.000-07:00

I am beyond angry. I prepared a recording of a run-through of the show I performed last week, getting it ready to export to put online. I recorded bumpers and added music to the bumpers. It took 30 minutes in garageband to export, and it did not work! Nothing happened. It just took 30 minutes and then nothing happened. I tried it again another way, it took 15 minutes, and again, nothing. Blood boiling from frustration. What am I doing wrong here? I hate wasting time. I have it when I am doing everything I know I am supposed to do, and whatever it is I am working on does not come out correct. I am now transfering all my files (ALL of my files on the computer, not just the ones I am working with right now) to an external hard drive and will restart my computer in hopes that that might work.

What I am trying to do is get these run-thrus onto the podcast, blog, and maybe onto cds for Monday nght. They're good and need to be heard. But at this rate, it doesn't look like any of this will happen.

(drawing stolen from them)

Maupin's blog post ** podcast ** website ** blog ** myspace

Show update: I contact two local podcasts

2006-04-22T14:22:00.000-07:00

I found two podcasts I thought might be good to make appearances on, so I contact them. One if the Radio Rickshaw podcast, and the other is a Gay Days podcast. the Rickshaw one already responded and is scheduling me in. The gay one has not gotten back with me yet. Listen:

reaching_out_to_podcasters.mp3

Tampa Bay Times mentions me!

2006-04-21T15:37:00.000-07:00

On this Tampa Bay Times page, they mention me in their blurb about the Orlando Fringe Festival:

"Orlando Fringe Festival May 18-29: This celebration of the performing arts takes hold of the streets, theaters and converted industrial spaces of downtown Orlando. The event also encompasses an outdoor stage with nightly concerts and Kids Fringe, to keep the little ones happy. The focus is on diversity, as well as the all-important risk factor. For example this year Mark Baratelli is doing a solo show, Improv Cabaret, but he'll also be blogging, podcasting and updating his MySpace page before, during and after the show. The beauty is you can catch the work of amazing emerging artists, or cringe with the rest of the crowd at a group of struggling amateurs butchering a classic. Buttons cost $6 for entry and show prices range from free to $10. Get them at www.orlandofringe.org. Many shows are sold out well in advance, so it's smart to get them early."

On the AOL City Search site, they mention me on their page about the Orlando Fringe Festival:

"The Shows: As always, Fringe samplings will run the gamut from glam-rock musical 'Hedwig and the Angry Inch,' to powerful dramas like 'Flowers for Algernon' and Nicolle Avery's 'To Silence Me is to Silence.' Looking for a laugh? Try Mark Baratelli's Improv' Cabaret' or Doodie Doo Doo Production's 'Doodie Power 3: To the Turd Power.' Families will enjoy Orlando Youth Theatre's staging of 'Moby Dick: The Musical' as well as Mark Stone's mind-boggling ESP act."

I just found a photo from the Mayoral Roast I sang at with SAK. Here's the Mayor and me singing. I look like I am in my own little world and the Mayor is like "This guy is nuts." But I tell you, it was not like that. :)

Maupin's blog post ** podcast ** website ** blog ** myspace

2006-04-20T09:37:00.000-07:00

2006-04-19T14:51:00.000-07:00

2006-04-18T14:42:00.000-07:00

2006-04-16T13:14:00.000-07:00

2006-04-15T10:59:00.000-07:00

Show Update 4-15-06

2006-04-15T10:11:00.000-07:00

I set up some rehearsals for the coming week with my accompanist. Also, he is going to put together the music for my fringe preview performance that is next Monday night. It's like I am awakening from a fringe coma: I've ignored the show for probably two months now. No matter the reasons or what went wrong or semi-right, let's look forward and get this dead dog back on it's feet.

The Orlando Improv Comedy Club is having a "musical comedy" night May 31...and I will be there! I asked Chase to play guitar for it. I just both found out today and sent him to the email. If he cannot do it, I am screwed.

The original idea I had for Fringe preview might still happen. There is one participant who has said "maybe." If I tell you who it is I will be giving away the surprise. We will find out Monday. Yes, a week from the show.

Right now I feel like such an amateur. Few to none rehearsals, ignoring emails, blah blah blah. Focus forward, focus forward...

-Mark

Maupin's blog post ** podcast ** website ** blog ** myspace

Beth marshall sends an email out

2006-04-11T17:59:00.000-07:00

Beth Marshall, head of the Fringe festival, sent out the following email today to the entire Fringe producers list and to Push:

"Hi Fringers-

Please take a moment to check out the below write up from Betsey. She also, had this to say…

“Happy to oblige! And here's a note to all you other Fringe performers out there -- if you can be as creative as Mark is in selling your show, I'll plug your show as well. Just let me know what you're up to -- and well before the Fringe starts May 18.”

Artists- take her up on this!!!! Kudos To Mark Baratelli for opening this door of publicity for himself as an artist and to Fringe! Much Thanks! Fringefully Yours, Beth

Click here: Orlando Sentinel - Fringe performer goes public - by Elizabeth Maupin"

How cool is that? Thanks Beth!

Now my show better be good. Dang.

-Mark

Maupin's blog post ** podcast ** website ** blog ** myspace

2006-04-10T15:45:00.000-07:00

Orlando Lifestyle Magazine- April 28th

2006-04-09T20:45:00.000-07:00

I emailed the editor of the magazine my article is appearing in to ask when the article would appear. I thought the magazine was "Orlando Leisure," so I used the title in my email. I also complimented him on the cover, as it was featured in the mayoral thing I performed in last night. I was wrong. His magazine is not called Orlando Leisure, but Orlando Lifestyles. Eek. How embarassing. I apologized and found out my article would be in the April 28th issues. There are 12 versions of the magazine, one for a different part of Orlando. He didn't know how many my article would appear in. I don't even know where to pick one up. I guess Barnes & Noble?

Maupin's blog post ** podcast ** website ** blog ** myspace

The plans have changed

2006-04-09T19:30:00.000-07:00

The plans for Fringe preview have changed. Ixnay on the high school ancerdays. Dammit. No one was willing to help. So, I am going to plan b (which I made up ten minutes ago while on the phone with my producer). I'm asking my friends to wear masks and dance around me while I sing my song. Here's the email I sent to the SAK Gen S people:

Wanna be in the Fringe preview show April 24th at night?

I need dancers who can't dance well at all to be in my portion of the fringe Preview show. You'd be wearing masks and my show t-shirt (a t-shirt with the name of the show on it) and some kind of neutral pant and show (that you provide) running around the stage fake dancing waving sicks with long ribbons attached to them, throwing glitter on the audience and being insane while I sing my song. For once, I will be the normal one onstage. sort of.

I really really need your help and it would be a fun time on a Monday night. everyone from the Fringe population will be in the audience and in the show. Press will be there and all that exciting shizzle.

Email me if you want to do it, are available that night and willing to go crazy onstage for me.

Thanks!

I hope I can at least get ten people to do it. I don't want to be onstage alone singing this song I am singing. (It's a secret).

Also, I'm going to buy a cd of the kareoke track as a backup. I am still going to keep working on the midi file, but I doubt it's going to get better. I just haven't had time to work on it.

I want to hand out cds with my songs on it as flyers for Fringe preview. That's the goal anyways. We'll see what I end up with.

Bye!

Maupin's blog post ** podcast ** website ** blog ** myspace

So not ready

2006-04-09T07:17:00.000-07:00

How's that for a blog post tile on a blog about a show?

I am so not ready for so many events on so many levels. Let me count the ways...

1. Tomorrow night I am singing improvised songs with a guitar player, walking around a wine tasting. I have no idea how it will go or what we are going to do. Weee!!

2. I volunteered to perform at one of the three Fringe volunteer training sessions, but didn't write on my calendat which one I am performing at.

3. Fringe preview is 14 days away. a huge event for Fringe...not even CLOSE to being ready for that. Got a good start, but....not ready.

Last night I sang with four other performers at the "City Kidz" Mayoral roast benefit, a huge event with 600 audience members, all rich and pwerful. There was a silent auction, a real auction and a show. SAK opened the whole event and closed it with some well-written politically-jabbing songs that got very strong responses from the crowd.

Maupin's blog post ** podcast ** website ** blog ** myspace

2006-04-06T16:21:00.000-07:00

No rehearsals might make the show suck..or not

2006-04-02T11:30:00.000-07:00

--No rehearsal scheduled until this Thursday. :( This of course worries me. I only have a month and a half to put this show together. So far I have had one rehearsal where I attempted to do scenes and monologues into songs. I did do 15 minutes of the show at Crane's comedy. I am worried my show will suck. I want some legit rehearsals scheduled soon cuz if i don't have them, my show might suck. Of course, my show might suck WITH the rehearsals. But, there's more of a chance it WON'T if I DO have them.

--I did the second portion of the photo shoot for the Gay Days magazine Saturday. It will come out mid May, perfect for Fringe. As payment I will receive an ad in the magazine. The photos of the five of us who were in the shoot will appear there, on a billboard and on the gaydays.com website.

--I need to get those ads to SAK soon so they can show them in the slide shows before/after the shows. I need to do a lot of things. Ugh.

--There's a new list of people to send press releases to. I asked my peeps to send them out. I don't know if they have. I haven't checked in with them in a few days. Will do shortly.

-Mark

Maupin's blog post ** podcast ** website ** blog ** myspace

Yay! We're in the Fringe Preview Show!

2006-04-01T07:02:00.000-08:00

A big, BIG thanks to Angie because...IMPROV CABARET IS IN THE FRINGE PREVIEW SHOW! The deal was after 12am on April1, the first 30 shows to email Beth Marshall saying they wanted to be in the Fringe Preview Show, got in. If you emailed before 12am or too late, no dice. and Angie was the one on our team designated as official call person. So, big props to Angie for staying up till midnight and getting us into the show.

Why is getting into the show such a big deal? Exposure. You get 3 minutes to do whatever in front of the local Orlando press. They write about the event in their publications and use photos from it in unofficial Fringe "programs," listings they produce of each show and the showtimes.

Also, congrats to Slothco and their show "The McGrawsky Files" for getting into the show. They're friends of mine who perform with me at SAK with a good improv show I might be making the theme song for. And slothco is run by Franciso, my director.

So, I have four weeks to lose ten pounds and put a production for the show together. I have a fully-fleshed out idea that involves a lot of things, so if we get it all done, it will rock.

Below is the full list of performers:

ACT 1
1) Orlando Youth Theatre- Moby Dick The Musical
2) Mark Stone- MENTALMANIA
3) Clarion Refugees- WHO DUNNIT: The Murder At Ye Ole Eola Tavern
4) ACT REEL INC- Black Voices
5) Voci Dance- Paint Chips
6) Slotcho Productions-McGrawsky Files: The Case of The 3-Man Cop Show
7) Ghostlight Theatre Ensemble- SPORT
8) Living Room Players- Flowers For Algernon
9) Corruption Productions-DreamJob.Com –The Musical
10) Chris Lavigne- King of Farts
11) Lake Howell Theater Co. –TAPE
12) The Curious Traveller- Romance/Romance: The Little Comedy
13) Pot Pie Productions- Shuffling Strait
14) Mark Baratelli-Improv Cabaret
15) The SHREDD! Ensemble- The Extraordinary Fila Goes To Hell!

ACT 2

1) Taylor Martin/ Magic Taylor’d For You- The Glamorous Andrea Meryln Magic Show (DVD)-national
2) Poison Pixie Productions- 2112 (DVD)-national
3) naked orange theatre company- Hedwig And The Angry Inch
4) The Dying To Perform Players- Stale Magnolias
5) B Productions-“Misleading Perceptions”
6) Open House Productions- You’re Being Watched
7) Marc Ackerman/Lost Soles Productions- Classics Condensed: Two-in-One Stories
8) Amy Steinberg-Ever-Expanding
9) Jester Theater Company- (F) Ives -5 Actors Take On Ives
10) Air-O-Dynamic-Bathhouse: The Musical
11) Playwrights Round Table- Mercy On The Canvas
12) Quiet Desperation Productions-Orlando Vigilante
13) Tod Kimbro- Electra At The Weiner Stand
14) Doodie Poo Poo Productions-Doodie Humor 3: To The Turd Power
15) Wanzie Presents- The Lion Queen And The Naked Go-Go Cub

WAITLIST
1) Russell Scott
2) Excellent Adventure Productions
3) Matt Alden
4) Karin Amano/Lisa Sleeper

-Mark

Maupin's blog post ** podcast ** website ** blog ** myspace

Lisa Jolley did in 2001

2006-03-31T15:35:00.000-08:00

--Check out this Wall Street Journal review of Lisa jolley's one-woman improvised cabaret show. It's from 2001. I don't know if she's still doing it or not. But how cool that we had the same idea...but she had it first. Props to Jolley. I am a bit taken back though. I know I am not in the improv world very deep, so i guess I shouldn't have thought this, but I seriously thought I had come up with something original. I am a little dissappointed. However, if you read the article you will see she does something totally different from me. She gets info from the audience and sings about their lives. Then she does a musical using those characters. I am talking to the audience and singing songs out of whatever we talk about. Mine is less structured. So I guess it's the same idea, different execution.

--The magazine called Tuesday night. They wanted to check if I indeed lived in orlando because the phone number I gave them was not an Orlando number. I still use my NYC number. I could change it, but why? If this day job pans out and I actually end up staying here long-term, I'll change it.

--The Crane's Comedy event went well for me and the show. I sat on the edge of the stage and just talked about whatever came into my head. The audience was very old and didn't laugh much, but the people backstage did. The people backstage are more like the regular fringe crowd, so I call it a success.

--I volunteered to perform for the Fringe volunteers May 3. Chase and his guitar will be there. I also sent out a bulletin on myspace asking for more opportunities to perform the show before Fringe. If you need some wacky entertainment, email me. I want to do my show.

-Mark

Improv Cabaret:
blog ** myspace ** website

2006-03-28T18:51:00.000-08:00

Rehearsal take 2 (3-26-06)

2006-03-26T11:31:00.000-08:00

After I tried the first go-round, I noticed I was not incorporating things I'd already said as I went along. I would just keep coming up with new stuff and never revisiting the stuff I'd set up already. He asked why, and I said I couldn't remember it. So, to prove I can remember, he did a monologue. I was supposed to listen to it and then get up and recite what I remembered, and add my own take on it. This is his monologue and my take:

MP3 File

Rehearsal take 1 (3-26-06)

2006-03-26T11:23:00.000-08:00

Here's the first stab at doing the show today during rehearsals. I know this sounds weak, but I did one after this that kicked ass. My phone battery died right before I started (unbeknownst to me) so nothing got recorded. But ask Francisco- it was good!

firststab.mp3

Final Version the article

2006-03-26T07:20:00.000-08:00

This is the final version of the article I wrote for the Orlando Lifestyles Magazine. I just realized that if people read the magazine, then come to the blog, they will find out that I wrote the article and tht I was not interviewed. The style of the article is as if I was being interviewed. I wonder if that's a bad thing that they find out otherwise. Well, I guess I will find out. :) I doubt any anger will come from it. I hope they understand that t was just a format choice.

Improv Cabaret (Improvcabaret.com), a show being produced first for the 2006
Orlando Fringe Festival May 19-29, is not your typical Fringe show says creator
and performer Mark Baratelli. "I am not aware of an improv format anywhere that
resembles Improv Cabaret, though I could be wrong. I don't get out much. In the
show you'll see a very self-indulgent actor (the character, not me) share his
life story through monologue, scenes and songs. The scenes and songs come from
shows he's been in and the monologues are about his travels through life."

Beyond creating a unique show, Baratelli has created a unique marketing plan.
He's kept a blog (an online diary) since November, detailing the highs and lows
of creating this show (improvcabaret.blogspot.com).

"The blog lets the audience in on the behind the scenes drama: the good and
bad. I thought people might be curious, so I started way back in November and
have kept a fairly good record of the whole process. Everything is there. It's
pretty revealing. Not scandalous, but honest."

The blog also contains video and audio clips of Baratelli singing some of his
improvised songs. "I tape every rehearsal and put those songs on the blog. I
also record scenes as well. It's an archive of the whole rehearsal experience
really.

Those songs and scenes can also be found on his podcast, available on Itunes
for free. just search for "Improv cabaret" on Itunes (itunes.com). "

The podcast cost me nothing but time to create, same as the blog. But, it was
yet another way to get the product out there." Mark used myspace
(myspace.com/improvcabaret) once the blog and podcast were created, to get the
word about about each effort.

"Myspace is great. It's a community. I send out weekly notes trying to engage
people in what's going on with the show. And at the bottom of each note I put
links to the blog and podcast. It's just about raising awareness. Another way I
get the word out about the myspace page is through SAK. I perform at SAK Comedy
Lab (sak.com) and several audience members have gotten in touch with me through
myspace. I in turn tell them about this new show. if they liked me at SAK, they
might be interested in some other show I am in. That was my thinking anyway."

Baratelli also used traditional means of spreading word about his blog and
podcast. "I sent out a press releases to local newspapers and magazines telling
them 'Hey, I'm doing this unique show and using new creative ways to market it.
Wanna write about it?' I thought it might make for an interesting story. The
reaction was instant. In one week Elizabeth Maupin, theater critic for the
Orlando Sentinel, wrote a very nice post on her blog about the show and the
marketing around it, and I was contacted by this fine magazine. I also placed
an ad in Jester Theater's program for 'Musical of Musicals' with links to the
blog. That show was a sell-out."

Mark Baratelli concedes that all this marketing could add come to nothing if
his show is anything less than top notch.

"My first priority is the quality of the show, then marketing. The buzz will
hopefully build and people will hopefully come out. But ultimately it's up to
me to deliver a quality show. Nothing creates word of mouth better than a good
show."

Improv Cabaret plays at the Orlando Fringe Festival in the Blue Venue at the
Orlando Shakespeare Center on the following dates: 5/20-2:25pm, 5/21-5pm,
5/22-8:25pm, 5/24-6:15pm, 5/25-9:45pm, 5/27-3:45pm, 5/28-12noon

Hold on- let me go back

2006-03-26T07:02:00.000-08:00

Audio Update: Crane's Comedy

2006-03-25T14:12:00.000-08:00

The Crane's Comedy Event is coming up and the act is absolutely not ready, to me. It's a great advertising event to et the word out about the show, but I am worried. I have 15 minutes, a guitar player and have not made a decision as to what I will be doing. Listen:

worryingaboutcranes.mp3

Myspace bulletin Header

2006-03-25T12:28:00.000-08:00

This is the header I made for the bulletin I sent out on myspace yesterday.

Links:
Elizabeth Maupin's blog post about the show
podcast
website
blog
myspace

Rehearsal Recording: Crane's Comedy

2006-03-23T19:28:00.000-08:00

This is a recording made friday night while Chase and I rehearsed for the Crane's Comedy Event. We try the babbling-and-avoiding-the-song gag, the Chase-that's-a-real-song gag. And we leave scratching our heads going, "Hmmm....hope something comes to us Tuesday night." Or at least I did. I don't know what Chase thought. He's usually positive, so he's probably like "Oh this is gona ROCK!" Meanwhile, I am blogging about it going "Shit!" But listen to the rehearsal I recorded with my phone:

cranesrehearsal.mp3

Driving to the Crane's Comedy Rehearsal

2006-03-23T06:01:00.000-08:00

There are a couple ideas I have for the event, but nothing set in stone.

cranesideas.mp3

Links:
Elizabeth Maupin's blog post about the show
podcast
website
blog
myspace

PHOTOS- The 10pm SAK show tonight

2006-03-18T22:35:00.000-08:00

This post has nothing to do with the show, but it has everything to do with how I spend my weekends: performing at SAK.

My crap tonight was a bushel of flowers I stole from a young blonde blind girl.

Something was happening during the show. I was there.

The players offering their crap up to the contestant.

Human Prop scene: churning butter

Pimped into stripping.

Mark, Charles and I, the winning team.

Singing about milk in "Jump Jive and Wail". I got through the first two lines, but when I got to the payoff line about "jugs," I cracked up and got killed. In the scene before that, I'd asked a man who'd gotten man-boob surgery to slap a woman with them. That's why I couldn't finish the lines.

Benji, playing a sea hag aboard a small dingy with a sea captain in love with her, is sent off the ship by the captain into the water to save her life from the impending doom of the rocks ahead. I had already eaten the fish she threw off the ship at the top of the scene as a shark, so when benji got thrown off the ship, I ate him/her as well.

The blind girl from the top of the show makes an appearance at the very end of the musical at the end of the show. She wanders onto the monkey butter making farm, becomes part of the farm family, regains aher sight at the tail end of the finale ballad...

...and gets taken off by a hawk into the air.

Links:
Elizabeth Maupin's blog post about the show
podcast
website
blog
myspace

Second Draft of Article

2006-03-17T00:56:00.000-08:00

(This is an article for the magazine "Orlando Lifestyles" I have to write due March 20)

SECOND DRAFT:
(Thanks Ed!)

"I just thought there was a better way to get the word out."

Mark Baratelli (markbaratelli.com) gives this as the main reason for creating what he calls a "marketing web" for his entry into the 2006 Orlando Fringe Festival, Improv Cabaret. "Fringe shows usually have a poster, some handbills and word of mouth. I wanted to build the word of mouth before the festival through viral and nontraditional marketing," says Baratelli. The web he refers to includes a blog, podcast and myspace profile, all relatively new and inexpensive ways for a Fringe producer to spread the word about his show.

The show's eponymous blog (improvcabaret.blogspot.com) is a fun, weekly-updated site featuring all the ins-and-outs of constructing a one-man musical show in which Baratelli improvises all the characters, plots and songs, all to a professional pianist's accompaniment.

"I share everything, from the triumph of a really good rehearsal to the disaster of, say, failing to reserve a rehearsal space for a week."

But Baratelli doesn't just type up his weekly show updates, he also records audio versions. …In his car?

"I subscribe to a service that enables me to call in instant audio posts from my car. So whenever I get the itch to share, I can record an update. And yeah, it usually happens in the car. I hate driving."

Ok, so he has a blog with weekly written and recorded updates. But wait… there's more.

Baratelli also posts audio and video clips from his rehearsals on the blog. "The show is hard to explain, so I wanted to show people what it was about, rather than try to describe it." He generally uses a Mac Powerbook with an add-on microphone to make the recordings, but he has other methods to capture the magic.

"One day I didn't have my computer with me, so I improvised. I wore an earpiece connected to my phone, hid the phone in my pocket and recorded the entire scene with the service I mentioned earlier. When I got home I went to the blog and there was the audio!"

"And once you have the audio," Baratelli notes, "you can re-use it forever and everywhere." He turned it into a podcast. Not familiar with the medium? Baratelli: "A podcast is just another way to get audio. You subscribe to a show and receive updates automatically. Download iTunes and try it out. Most of the general population seems to have missed the podcast trend so far, but a growing number of techno-literate young people have embraced it. A large portion SAK's audience is high school and college age. I figured if they catch me at SAK and like what they see, they could go online and find the blog and all and give the podcast a listen."

When Baratelli refers to SAK, he means the Orlando institution known as the SAK Comedy Lab. (sak.com) "I love SAK. And the younger audience members go online after the shows and search for information about the performers. I realized this when I got messages from them on my myspace pages (myspace.com/improvcabaret and
myspace.com/markbaratelli).

Ahh, the ubiquitous myspace. "Myspace is an essential part of the Improv Cabaret marketing web—it's the absolute epicenter of internet life for that young demographic. I have the audio there as well as links to the blog and podcast. Users can place my songs on their myspace pages, and then their visitors can hear them. Total viral saturation."

The blog, the podcast, myspace, saturation...are you keeping up? With all this nontraditional marketing going on, it's surprising Baratelli pursued traditional outlets at all. He explains, "I needed traditional to get the word out beyond the online web I'd created. I sent press releases to newspapers and magazines and placed an ad in a local theater program for their March musical with links to my online presence. And that show is selling out most of its shows, which I expected after seeing the excellent original production in New York City. That was a smart investment for me."

Beyond marketing to potential audience members, Baratelli hopes to reach other improv performers like him. "I definitely want to connect with the national improv community. As far as I know, there isn't any improv show like mine around. There are musical improv shows with multiple cast members; there are one-man non-musical improv shows, but to my knowledge there are no one-man musical improv shows.

Mark Baratelli concedes that all this marketing could add come to nothing if his show is anything less than top notch.

"Beth Marshall, director of the Fringe, told me that in a workshop, and I believe it. My first priority is the quality of the show. The marketing, though important, comes second. But to be honest, the marketing is for me as much fun to create as is putting the show together."

Improv Cabaret plays at the Orlando Fringe Festival in the Blue Venue at the
Orlando Shakespeare Center on the following dates: 5/20-2:25pm, 5/21-5pm,
5/22-8:25pm, 5/24-6:15pm, 5/25-9:45pm, 5/27-3:45pm, 5/28-12noon

3-16-06 Rehearsal Audio

2006-03-16T15:49:00.000-08:00

Rehearsal Part One:

3_16_06_one.mp3

Rehearsal Part Two:

3_16_06_two.mp3

My Thoughts after Rehearsal:

3_16_06_thoughts.mp3

Rehearsal:
Here's tonight's rehearsal, recorded with my phone. No piano, just scenework. Francisco, the director, and I talk through our ideas and thoughts on format and audience expectations. I get a suggestion from Francisco and then just start riffing on the cabaret format, playing a hightened version of myself. Stories about my performing background (all untrue) come out. Scenes and songs from made-up shows come every now and then as they come out from the story. The first sound file cuts off about ten minutes in. Just click play on the next segment.

I had a fun time with this format. Stories and scenes flowed more naturally for me than in the full-musical format. And I like playing this type of character (because, well, it's me, just heightened). I think this direction is the best one for me. I can't wait to get the piano player in there and run it with him. I think he can add musicality to the monologues and scenes, as well as play for the actual songs.

I feel more confident about the format after tonight. When I have fun, the show is fun. THe format has a lot to do with me havin fun. If I feel confident with it, I feel the room to play.

_____________________________________________________

Five emails came tonight from Fringe:
-they need high rez pics for publicity requests they're getting already from media
-date/time/directions confirmation for the event in Altamonte March 28 I am in (which I secured a musician for tonight!)
-another reminder about the wine event on April 10.
-the master fringe schedule has changed once since the final schedule came out
-I can't remember the last one :)

_____________________________________________________

SAK this weekend
-I'm in shows Friday and Saturday night, 8pm and 10pm
-perfomed tonight in a very fun show with a crazy audience. Have I told you love SAK? Well, I do.

-Mark

Links:
Elizabeth Maupin's blog post about the show
podcast
website
blog
myspace

Show Update 3-16-06

2006-03-15T06:00:00.000-08:00

Listen to an audio update of how things are going with the show:

update_3_16_06.mp3

Improv Cabaret:
Elizabeth Maupin's blog post about the show
podcast
website
blog
myspace

Rough Draft of Article

2006-03-14T19:45:00.000-08:00

Here's the first draft of the article for "Orlando Lifestyles" magazine. (They responded to my press release email Monday and offered me a 500 word article in their magazine that has a 100k circulation and an audience with incomes above $100k. Hello!?) The only thing is that I have to write the article! It's due March 20th. I've sent this first version to several people for review. I have no idea if it's good or not. I do know I've spent three hours on it. Impressed? Thank you. It's written as if i was interviewed by someone else. So, i will not recieve writing credit. Otherwise, it would make me sound like I am interviewing myself, which I did. But that's insane so I hope they just don't write an author's name, or make one up. Or put Oprah's name there.

"Yes, Oprah Winfrey wrote an article about me."

BEGIN ARTICLE:

"I just thought there was a better way to get the word out."

Mark Baratelli (markbaratelli.com) gives this as the main reason for creating what he calls a "marketing web" for his entry into the 2006 Orlando Fringe Festival, Improv Cabaret. "Fringe shows usually have a poster, some handbills and word of mouth. I wanted to build the word of mouth before the festival through viral and nontraditional marketing," says Mark. This web includes a blog, podcast and myspace profile, all three relatively new and inexpensive ways for a Fringe show producer to get the word out about his show.

The blog, (improvcabaret.blogspot.com) a fun, weekly-updated site featuring all the ins and outs of putting together a one-man improvised musical show in which Mark makes up all the characters, all the plots and all the songs along with a professional pianist. "I share everything. The triumphs of having really good rehearsals and the complete failures of, maybe, not getting a rehearsal space that week." Not only does he do weekly posts about the process, he records audio versions...in his car? "I have a service that enables me to make recordings over the phone and post them to my blog instantly. So whenever I get the itch to share, I can record an update. And yeah, it usually happens in the car. I hate driving."

Ok, so he has a blog with weekly written and recorded updates. But there's more.

The blog has audio and video clips taped during rehearsals. "The show is hard to explain, so I wanted to show people what it was about, rather than try to describe it." He uses a Mac Powerbook he bought while working for Disney Cruise Line in 2003 and a microphone to do the recording, but has other methods as well. "One day I didn't have my computer with me, so I improvised. I wore an earpiece connected to my phone, hid the phone in my pocket and recorded the entire scene with that service I mentioned earlier. When I got home I went to the blog and there was the audio!"

But there's more. "Once you make audio, you can use it forever and everywhere." Mark turned it into a podcast. You know you've heard the word podcast, but you're probably like most everyone, unfamiliar with the medium. Not Mark. "A podcast is just another way to get audio. You subscribe to a show and get updates automatically. Download itunes and try it out. I know people aren't really up to speed on the whole podcast thing, but some young people are, and a large portion of the SAK audience is high school and college age. I figured if they see me at SAK and like me, they'd find me online with the blog and all and maybe give the podcast a listen." We forgot to mention besides being on the cutting edge of marketing and putting together his own one-man show, he is part of the professional ensemble at the Orlando institution SAK Comedy Lab. (sak.com) "I love SAK. And the younger audience members go online after the shows and try to find information on the performers. I know because they contact me on Myspace (myspace.com/improvcabaret and myspace.com/markbaratelli).

Myspace. You know you've heard the word, but you're probably like most everyone, unfamiliar with the medium. Not Mark. "Myspace is another part of the Improv Cabaret marketing web and the absolute center of everything right now for that young demographic. I have the audio there as well as links to the blog and podcast. Users can place my songs on their myspace pages and then visitors to their page can hear it. Total viral saturation."

The blog, the podcast, the myspace, the saturation...are you keeping up? With all this nontraditional marketing going on, it's surprising Mark pursued traditional outlets as well. "I needed traditional to get the word out beyond the web I'd created. I emailed press releases to newspapers and magazines and placed an ad in a local theater program for their March musical with links to my web. And that show (as I knew it would because I saw the original production in New York City) is selling out most of it's shows. That was a smart investment for me."

Beyond marketing to potential audience members, Mark hopes to reach other improv performers like him. "I definitely want to communicate with the national improv community. As far as I know, there isn't an improv show like this around. There are musical improv shows multiple people in the cast, there are one-man improv shows, but there is no one-man musical improv show.

He admits all this marketing could mean nothing if the show is not top notch. "Beth Marshall, director of the Fringe, said that in a workshop, and I believe it. My first priority is the quality of the show. The marketing, though important, comes second. But to be honest, the marketing is as fun to work on as putting the show together."

Improv Cabaret plays at the Orlando Fringe Festival in the Blue Venue at the Orlando Shakespeare Center on the following dates: 5/20-2:25pm, 5/21-5pm, 5/22-8:25pm, 5/24-6:15pm, 5/25-9:45pm, 5/27-3:45pm, 5/28-12noon

Improv Cabaret
The Podcast
Myspace
Website

Show Update: Magazine

2006-03-13T10:28:00.000-08:00

Orlando Lifestyles magazine responded to my press release and offered me a 500 word article. Listen to this recording I made minutes after calling him:

magazine.mp3

Links:
Elizabeth Maupin's blog post about the show
podcast
website
blog
myspace

Show Update 3-12-06

2006-03-12T14:16:00.000-08:00

Subscribe to the Improv Cabaret podcast to hear all the songs from rehearsals!

I had a meeting with Rob, the new producer of the show, and Angie march 8 at the Colonial Barns & Noble. We're no longer going to look for a sponsor or have a program in which to sell ads. Makes life simpler for us and really, I cannot offer sponsors or advertisers guaranteed bang for their buck since this is my first show and I haven't proven myself. Also, I am not performing in the Kid's Fringe because of time. I am, however, applying to perform on the outdoor stage. If you are doing a Fringe show and you want to perform on the outdoor stage, you can do so for free ONLY if you are performing material from your show. If you perform something else, they want $50. I am sure they have a good reason for this, so once I hear it I'll be like "Ohhh!" but right now I am like "Huuuh?" I have to get hopping on making flyers for the show. I have a few events coming up that need them. Ugh. I don't like doing flyers for my own show. There's a creative block there for some reason.

Francisco (Slothco Productions) has accepted my offer to be the director of Improv Cabaret. More of a formality than anything as he has been helping me in this capacity all along. I just want to give him credit.

An expense I have put off for far too long is the purchasing of a video camera. Ugh. $300-$400. I hate buying this stuff. But, I think I need it to tape rehearsals for my blog and to tape the show as well. I guess I could just keep doing audio posts on the blog and not worry about vido, but, hmmm....there's a thought. :)

I am already in planning for the Fringe preview show. I figure I should start now and then if I get in I am that much further ahead of the game.

One of my action points taken from the meeting last wednesday (with Rob and Angie) was to email newpaper people and tell them about this blog. I will be doing that shortly.

I am playing at SAK all next weekend so if you haven't seen me perform and want a lil "taste," come out and pay $8 for parking, $10 for the show and $1 to buy me a cookie.

Beth just emailed the show times for the blue venue. She says to not put the dates out "to the world" until we receive the Fringe master schedule and make sure the times match up. I am puttig them out there anyway with the caveat that they might change.

May
19- off
20- 2:25pm
21- 5:00pm
22- 8:25pm
23- off
24- 6:15pm
25- 9:45pm
26- off
27- 3:45pm
28- off

-Mark

Improv Cabaret
podcast, myspace, website

Performance at Fabulous Fringe!

2006-03-05T18:09:00.000-08:00

--I performed at the funraiser called "Fabulous Fringe" at the Orlando Rep Feb 27th with Robyn, Rob and Christian from SAK. We played three improv games and then I sang a song to a person selected (not by me) from the audience. It turned out to be the girl who's face was on last year's Fringe show. The song was brief but cute. No, I did not tape it. Dangit.

--My ad appeared in the Jester Theater program for their hit show "Musical of Musicals." It's on the very last page of the program, so you have to hunt for it. But it's there.

--I have some bad news. Rehearsal space with a piano is hard to come by here. So, rehearsals have stopped for the past few weeks. I hate this. Rob, Angie and I have a meeting Wednesday so we will figure it out then and get back on track.

--I got chosen by Beth Marshall to perform at the 2006 CRANES COMEDY in Altamonte March 28th. I get ten minutes to do something. There's no piano, so who knows what I'll do. It's another chance to plug the show with performance and flyers. The show is free and open to the public so come! When I find out where it is, I will post it here.

Improv Cabaret:
podcast
website
blog
myspace

Show Update: 2-27-06

2006-02-27T19:08:00.000-08:00

The show has a new producer named Rob! I am driving to perform in "Fabulous Fringe," a fundraiser event, with Rob, Robyn and Christian from SAK.

MP3 File

Show Update: Visiting Cabaret Party tonight

2006-02-25T17:51:00.000-08:00

Tonight I am driving to "Cabaret Party," an open-mic night with actors at the Orlando Rep. It's a three hour long night with drinks and singing and fun. The ad is designed and sent to Jester Theater to appear in their program. I don't have a rehearsal space so I don't have any new songs to share. :(

MP3 File

Show Update 2-22-06

2006-02-22T19:10:00.000-08:00

I have rehearsals Friday and Sunday, a program ad for Jester Theater is due Friday and "Fabulous Fringe," a benefit, is Monday night. I just found out I am performing a small part in it with three very funny people from SAK!

showupdate2_22_06.mp3

New to the site?

2006-02-17T10:55:00.000-08:00

A message for you:

MP3 File

New Scene: Boss and his secretary

2006-02-12T19:56:00.000-08:00

New Scene (recorded 2-10-06): I wore my hands-free cell phone mic during rehearsal to see if it would produce an audio file decent enough to listen to. This is scene one of a long-form musical, based on the suggestion "money." I play both characters, an old bank president and his secretary. It's 11 minutes long and includes one place where I stop and start (It's a rehearsal).

Download Scene One

___________________________________
Improv Cabaret Links:
Podcast in Itunes
Improv Cabaret Myspace Page
Mark Baratell's website

New Song: Me and My Kitten

2006-02-11T20:00:00.000-08:00

New Song: Me and My Kitten (recorded 1-29-05)

download "Me and My Kitten"

___________________________________
Improv Cabaret Links:
Podcast in Itunes
Improv Cabaret Myspace Page
Mark Baratell's website

New Song: I'm Selling Junk

2006-02-11T19:03:00.000-08:00

New Song: I'm Selling Junk (taped 1-20-06)
The piano player starts playing, I get an idea from his music and then start talking. And that's how it starts.

Download "I'm Selling Junk"

___________________________________
Improv Cabaret Links:
Podcast in Itunes
Improv Cabaret Myspace Page
Mark Baratell's website

Show Update 2-11-06

2006-02-11T07:51:00.000-08:00

2-11-06
Today's musical rehearsal is canceled due to the space being already taken by another group. :( Last night's rehearsal with Franciso from Slothco Productions went very well, and got recorded. Sound file to come. All the emails from Beth Marshall, that I've read and tossed into the "Fringe 06" folder in my email inbox will be read this weekend. The design for the show (posters, etc) is not something I am looking forward to, despite enjoying the work I did for Foolfest. But, I remember from past Fringes that the top-selling show had crap posters- it was the show that did the selling, through word-of-mouth. The Improv Cabaret website is thought through. This blog might turn into a website with links to the blog, podcast and sound files.

2.11.06.mp3

___________________________________
Improv Cabaret Links:
Podcast in Itunes
Improv Cabaret Myspace Page
Mark Baratell's website

Show Update 2-10-06

2006-02-10T09:44:00.000-08:00

2-10-06
Short update today: Tonight's rehearsal is coming up at 5:15pm with Franciso from Slothco Productions. He's helping with show structure. Cabaret festival application is due next Friday. Friend is going to draw me for my poster when he has the time. probably won't be available to use for the Cabaret Festival submission. The graphic design of the poster should be good.

2.10.06.mp3

___________________________________
Improv Cabaret Links:
Podcast in Itunes
Improv Cabaret Myspace Page
Mark Baratell's website

Show Update 2-7-06

2006-02-08T06:01:00.000-08:00

2-7-06
More from that first meeting with Beth Marshall on 2-6-06. Details on marketing: posters, handbills, posting on tables, giveaways, word-of-mouth, the beer tent, the outdoor stage, Kid's Fringe, handing out things while people are waiting in line for another show. Tech information I skip. Orlando Cabaret Festival is open and applications are due in two weeks. Ad purchased from Jester Theater in their program for Musical of Musicals the Musical. March 1 three things are due: logo, blurb and show rating.

2.7.06.mp3

___________________________________
Improv Cabaret Links:
Podcast in Itunes
Improv Cabaret Myspace Page
Mark Baratell's website

Show Update 2-6-06

2006-02-07T05:43:00.000-08:00

2-6-06 Part One
I went to the very first meeting for producers of shows in the 2006 Orlando Fringe. It was an informational session and in this update, all the things Beth Marshalll (Fringe Director) went over in the meeting, I go over with you. Things like due-dates and marketing and show ratings. If you like the nitty gritty, this update is for you.

2.6.06.part1.mp3

2-6-06 Part Two
Same thing. More from that first meeting.

2.6.06.part2.mp3

2-5-06
Uploaded new audio and video from this weekend's rehearsals and set up the show's podcast on Itunes. Next weekend is the second round of info sessions by Beth Marshall. Tonight at 6pm she's giving in info session as well. Lots of info sessions. Jester Theater is selling ad space in their program for Musical of Musicals the Musical. This blog isn't being promoted yet. I need to.

2.5.06.mp3

___________________________________
Improv Cabaret Links:
Podcast in Itunes
Improv Cabaret Myspace Page
Mark Baratell's website

New Song: Gay Teacher

2006-02-06T05:12:00.003-08:00

New Song "Gay Teacher": Listen below (taped 2-4-06)

Download "Gay Teacher"

New Song: Air Conditioner

2006-02-06T05:12:00.002-08:00

New Song "Air Conditioner": Listen below (taped 2-4-06)

Download "Air Conditioner"

New Song: Mamma Liked Cookies

2006-02-06T05:12:00.001-08:00

New Song "Mamma Liked Cookies": Listen below (taped 2-4-06)

Download "Mamma Liked Cookies"

___________________________________
Improv Cabaret Links:
Podcast in Itunes
Improv Cabaret Myspace Page
Mark Baratell's website

New Song: Single Lady

2006-02-06T05:12:00.000-08:00

New Song "Single Lady": Listen below (taped 2-4-06)

Download "Single Lady"

New Video: Blame God

2006-02-06T03:03:00.000-08:00

New Song "Blame God": Watch the video below (Filmed 2-4-06)

Download the video of the song "Blame God"

New Video: Whores

2006-02-06T02:10:00.000-08:00

New Song "Whores": Watch the video below (Filmed 2-4-06)

Download the video of the song "Whores"

New Video: Love

2006-02-05T18:11:00.000-08:00

New Song "Love": Watch the video below. (Filmed 2-4-06)

Download "Love" video

New Video: Old People

2006-02-04T23:40:00.000-08:00

New Song "Old People": Watch the video below. (Filmed 2-4-06)

Download video of the song "Old People"

Show Update: 2-4-06

2006-02-04T08:25:00.000-08:00

Show Update 2-4-06
Calling in on the way to rehearsals Saturday morning; I went to gym, ran and shaved before rehearsal; getting bags ready to leave; I was going to be late but so was Angie so it all worked out; Want to make a myspace.com/improvcabaret profile; More songs from last Sunday remain to be posted!

2006-02-03T15:48:00.000-08:00

2-3-06 Audio Update:

New Songs: Angela Is Pregnant and Child's Party Clown

2006-01-31T18:16:00.000-08:00

Download Angela is Pregnant

Download Child's Party Clown

Taped during a 1-29-06 rehearsal. How do these songs come about? The pianist just starts playing and I either get a strong idea/sense of what the song will be about or I don't. There were no suggestions given before each song. He just started playing and I'd fall in where I saw melody and words in my head.

2006-01-30T21:31:00.000-08:00

This is an email from Beth Marshall about which artists are going to be at which artists conference. I'm posting this because it's the first time I have seen, in print, the names of the other local acts and mine. Wow. This is really going to happen.

Monday, February 6th

PRT: John Goring – Monday

Clarion Refugees: Jack Lowe & Susan Mitchell – Monday

Excellent Adventure: Fred Berning & Bill Patterson – Monday

Voci: Adrienne Nichols, Kelli Cummins & Genevieve Bernard – Monday

Lost Soles: Marc Ackerman & Andrew Douglas – Monday

Naked Orange: David Lee – Monday

King of Farts: Chris LaVigne – Monday

Hystorical Players: Jordan Camenker, Michael Deaver & Roy Scherer – Monday

Free Lobster: David Lamontagne & Jennifer Silverman – Monday

Ghostlight: Brandon Roberts – Monday

Angela Pflaumer, Nicolle Avery & Angela McDonald – Monday

Dying to Perform: Di Drummond – Monday

Michael Wanzie & Kenny Howard – Monday

Bay Street Irregulars: Larry Stallings and Marcie Schwalm – Monday

Improv Cabaret: Mark Baratelli – Monday

Tuesday, February 7th

Michael Murray, Marie Murray & Uri Kaweblum – Tuesday

Andy Dooley – Tuesday

Tait Moline – Tuesday

Chrissy Morales-Martin – Tuesday

Corruption Productions: Rachel Bowen-Wilkerson – Tuesday

2006-01-29T19:42:00.000-08:00

I met with my second pianist today at 2pm and boy, it rocked. I will probably have two or three songs to share when I post them in the middle of this week. Listen to me descirbe how it went as well as share some other news from the Fringe front. Nothing earth-shattering, just general stuff:

I got some positive feedback for that last song I posted. Yay and thank you!

Also, please share the link to the song and/or this blog with anyone you think might be interested in a show like this. Improv, music, singing..

Later!

-mark

2006-01-28T12:26:00.000-08:00

1-28-06 A new song popped out during rehearsals today I wanted to share with you. it's called "Lucky Girl"

2006-01-27T16:24:00.000-08:00

2006-01-27T06:44:00.000-08:00

2006-01-21T12:50:00.000-08:00

Update:

---I am rehearsing with Chase at 3pm today. The other pianist has not gotten back to me yet on his schedule, but I will see him tonight at SAK. By the way, come out tonight if you want to see me- I'l be in both the 8pm and 10pm shows.

***UPDATE: I forgot to bring the microphone to rehersal, so I drove around for 45 minutes looking for one to buy at Wal Mart and Radio Shack. No dice, so we rescheduled for tomorrow night. The recording is an important component to the marketing plan. I want the songs eventually to get great and have people pass them around.

---Beth Marshall Playfest Seminars:
1. Feb 12- noon-two pm (How to do Fringe)
2. Feb 12- 3-5pm (How to tour with the Fringe circuit)

I am going to both. I called this morning to make reservations, like the email Beth Marhsall said to do. But, upon calling I found out there are no reservations needed. And, there was no point to even calling. You just show up, buy a button and that is your ticket in. I did have an interesting conversation with the guy on the phone. he told me I would be added to a mailing list if I bought tickets. I asked to be removed. He said if I did that, then they could not mail me tickets. What? You have to FORCE me to be on your mailing list to receive tickets? I am going to assume he was wrong. That can't be their strategy.

---The Fringe Conferences, which each show is required to attend (one of the following dates)

1)Monday, Feb. 6th -6-8pm

2)Tues. Feb. 7th- 2-4pm

I have to go to the Feb 6th one due to work. I hope Angie can make it. It'll be at the Studio Theater next to the Fringe office. And the best part? Snacks/Drinks provided.

So how am I doing? My biggest concern is creating a sense of comfort for myself: not stressing about nonexistant problems, relaxing and letting go at rehearsals, and making sure I get info from credible people who can help make the show better. That's it. Nothing dramatic right now. Knock on wood.

2006-01-17T14:29:00.000-08:00

Full Version Alone in a Bar

2006-01-14T22:28:00.000-08:00

Lots to update on, so sit back and enjoy...

I rehearsed with Chase today. My first rehearsal for the show ever! We’ve set up a second rehearsal for next week, same time. So you're probably wondering "How did it go?" Well, for a first rehearsal, I did alright. He was great. I was tentative and hesitant and unsure of myself. There were moments when I "let loose" but not many. I want to tap into that abandon I have when i sing in a SAK show. I guess that will come with rehearsal. Here are clips from three of the songs I sang. By no means do these reflect the quality of musical improv I want to have in my show ultimately. I am sharing them to hopefully illustrate an uptick in quality as rehearsals go on.

Play God Made Me Gay

God Made Me Gay.MP3

Play Red Lobster

Red Lobster.MP3

Play Alone in a Bar

Alone in a Bar.MP3

I'm rehearsing with another pianist as well starting sometime this month so I'll hopefully start having two rehearsals a week. One with one pianist and one with the other.

Beth Marshall (director of Fringe) is giving a “Producing a Fringe Show 101” class Feb 12, 12-2pm. Entrance is a $5 Playfest button. (The class is being given as part of Playfest). I will be there.

(taken from her flyer:)

This Discussion Will Include Topics Such As:
• How to Market your show,
• Cross Promotions with other artists
• What sales at Fringe
• How to Have a quality show with little to no budget
• What sponsors are best for you • How to get in The Fringe “loop”
• Strategies for success both artistically and financially as a Fringe Artist
• How to FABULOUSIFY YOUR FRINGETASTIC experience • Time will be left for open discussion

Also that same day from 3-5pm, she’s giving a lecture on touring the Fringe circuit. I’d be interested in learning about that as well.

There are lots of auditions this month: Universal, Disney, 42nd Street at the new Starlight Dinner Theater, SETC. I am avoiding them all so I can have nights free to perform this show around town. And speaking of performing around town, thank you to the people who got back to me and gave me a long list of venues I can perform the show at around town. I gave the list to Angie and we'll take steps toward contacting them soon.

2006-01-11T15:53:00.000-08:00

Update 1-11-06: Instead of having zero piano players and no place to hold my pianist audition, I share some good news. I have two pianists willing to help me rehearse. Listen:

2006-01-10T14:54:00.000-08:00

Update 1-10-06: The audition, scheduled for Jan 22, is in turmoil. i just found out #1 the space is now not available and #2 Angie today emailed everyone she knows telling them the audition location is SAK...which is now not available. What do I do? Beth Marshall announces her "How to Fringe" lecture. And amidst all this turmoil and stress, I actually consider applying for another city's fringe festival. Drama.

2006-01-08T19:15:00.000-08:00

Elaine Stritch talks about doing cabaret. Taken from an audio slideshow by NYTimes.com. I heard this and thought...shit...maybe this is going to be harder than I thought. At least she had the script and lyrics.

2006-01-08T07:55:00.000-08:00

Ok I let all my frustrations out in that last post. I wrote the friend who is helping me with this show and told her to listen to the post. She sent me a kick ass (as in, kicked my ass) email that got me back on track. Yes, it's January and yes, I have no pianist or performance venues or show structure...but apparently I should not throw in the towel and go shopping for shoes. Instead, I went back to my to-do list and got two things done this morning. One was to contact a friend who is excellent with writing and improv scene structure and set up a time to meet for him to help me with my show structure. The other thing was to send out an OPB (all points bulletin) asking for performance venue opportunities. I sent emails to people at SAK and posted a bulletin on myspace. Here is the message:

Hi-

I am looking for venues at which to perform a 30-minute cabaret show. It would
be myself and a pianist, and the whole thing would be improvised...songs,
monologues, everything. I have a dramatic, absurd and, ok, GAY, sense of humor,
but I don't want to lock into the gay clubs and bars only.

Can you recommend places (bars, lounges, cafes, bookstores, truck stops) or
other people who might be able to help me in this search? Names and emails
would be awesome. I could be used as an opener for something, or an act in a
line-up of musical/comedy acts. Or, I could just do my show. I am open to
possibilities.

Thank you

Mark

The whole point of finding venues to perform at is so I can get actual stage time doing the show in front of people before Fringe comes around as well as these mini-shows serve as buzz-generators. Should I do them well, people will talk, and hopefully then go see my show. It's fairly basic. Then once I get some video footage from these shows, I'll post them to this blog. And then I will start publicizing the show by sending people to this blog to watch the clips and say "Hey- that bitch is funny! I'll pay $7 to see his ass live at Fringe!"

Mark

2006-01-04T16:56:00.000-08:00

absolute and utter frustration:

2005-12-14T18:25:00.000-08:00

I am holding an audition for a piano player January 22 at 2pm, SAK Comedy Lab. If you or someone you know does musical improv with a piano, let me know!

I met with a new helper/stage manager/I don't know what to call her yet tonight to discuss next steps for the show. In december I am preparing the audition notice. In January, the audition. February, work on the show structure with pianist and other people brought in. Then in March and April we perform anywhere we can to get experience and to get the word out about the Fringe show.

Oh hey, if you know of any venues that would enjoy me doing musical improv, let me know. The only ones I can think of are Club Swank, maybe the Peacock Room, and the library (They have a large stage and the audience is usually five homeless vagrants sleeping upright).

2005-12-10T17:54:00.000-08:00

Update! Ok, so I pretty much gave up getting a pianist a couple weeks ago. It's the holidays, the people I wanted are involved in other shows and, well, it was looking bleak. And really, in tangible goods,it still is. I still have no piano player and no rehearsals scheduled. I have contacted one new person today, but the big news is a person I do improv with at SAK might be part of the show, as an organizer/stage manager-type. We talked Wednesday about it. We'll see what pans out. I emailed her today about it.

I have four months to rehearse. I'm resigned to not rehearse at all in December as no one is available. I seriously have no clue what is going to happen. I thought it wouldn't be this hard to find a pianist, but it is. And then once rehearsal start..what do I do? I just want to sing songs. Is more structure needed for the rehearsals. I know I want to tape them and watch them later, to correct myself and get feedback from others.

How does one person create, direct and perform a show by themselves? This seems overwhelming. Eek. Well, it just won't happen this way. I can perform and rehearse. The other things...I have to get help with. Eek.

2005-11-30T16:25:00.000-08:00

2005-11-24T22:00:00.000-08:00

It's Thanksgiving day. I do not have a rehearsal pianist. I emailed three people I know and I still don't have one. I emailed a friend who's good at organizing and asked him for advice. I would like to rehearse in December. I think it's a good thing. If I don't get a pianist, i cannot rehearsed. Worried? Yes.

I can see myself totally waiting until the very last minute and then throwing a show together. I do not want that to happen. I want to make every effort to get rehearsals at least once a week for December.

Work takes up a lot of my life right now. This shows seems like it might be a project too large for me to accomplish. Maybe I am feeling a litte stressed. Hopefully it will get better. I just want to start!

2005-11-23T14:36:00.000-08:00

2005-11-16T20:04:00.000-08:00

2005-11-14T18:37:00.000-08:00

(My show is me doing musical improv with monolgues and scenes in between- I write down my ideas for the show here, like an open book. If you have suggestions definitely leave them in the "Comments" area. I would love your feedback during this creative process. Thanks!)

Ok, so here's brainstorm number two:

Wants:
-a handheld mic, perhaps connected to a shit kareoke machine. But maybe the sound actually comes from real speakers in the theater (that I probably have to lug to and from the theater).
-fog machine
-spotlight

Feeling in general I want:
The songs sound real, have a high standard of quality to the singing, words and style, are funny. If I break from the reality of the song, it's because the audience is going with me. It's like I am not even singing, but we (me and the audience) are listening to a record together and laughing.

Ideas:
Have 5-6 people offstage in charge of props and set stuff. We'd have set materials liek glitter, confetti, rolls of toilet paper, streamers, balloons, magical Celine Dion props. I'd let them incorporate all of this into the show as it goes, trusting that they would find good spots to add set dressing, movement with props or shit falling from the celing like confetti.

Songs:

Evil huge dramatic tango song
This could be about something or someone I hate. Or someone the audience hates. I have to know who they are, or at least have one word to describe the person they hate.

Mariah ballad- like Hero, Butterfly
maybe I raise a butterly flag at some point. Or maybe there's a three minute Mariah montage tribute like that film that used to be in the waiting room before you watched Captain EO at Journey Into Imagination, and the film that Kathleen Turner narrated in the waiting room of "Living Seas," both at Epcot.

Dance number a la "All I Need is the Girl" from Gypsy
I'd love to do some dance improv so long as it didn't look like I was desperately struggling to come up with steps. If it were funny, like lyrical with batons and large shards of fabric, props, etc.

Sondheim serious ballad
This would be just a spotlight, piano, a mic and some drama. I'd get a suggestion from the audience like "Give me something serious to sing about." This song could end on a "to be continued" feeling and I could break into it at random point in the show. Like when I am bored or when someone in the audiences says something I "don't like."

Jazz scatt song
I'd want to avoid doing Mariah here and stick to that Ella/jazz/50's feeling. I'd like to totally go crazy on this one and get all jazzy.

Be rude to tech as running joke through show. This would work if I had someone like the SAK techs working on the show. They know the character I get into on Wednesday nights- it's this diva/bitch character who storms around, complains about lights and bad blackouts and generally becomes a sort-of villian. In this show, I'd antagonize him and he's take it. But then I would push too far. He'd shut off my mic. I make the most of it by doing some kind of "unplugged" country song or some Mariah unplugged (it's one of her albums) tribute

Celine Dion Cirque/dance number- with circus performers: this is where I see my improv friends coming in the most and playing. They could wear their own costumes, and whatever the suggestion was for the song, they'd be responsible for enacting the idea through dance in the style of the Celine Dion Vegas spectacular.

2005-11-13T20:00:00.000-08:00

I know the following about my show so far:

I want
-monolgues and songs, all improvised
-a pathetic gay character, sad, despondent, but funny
-piano player and 1-2 supporting improvisors
-a stool
-some audience participation: "This song is about...?"

The feel I want
-I did a song a few years ago while sitting on top of a piano in a Gen S show, being all camp and dramatic, with Matt Soule playing the piano. I sang something like...Night is day, day is black, hop in my potato sack..And then I started laughing and couldn't stop. The audience went with me. That's the feeling I want. Fun, crazy, spontaneous. Silly

Song style
-ballads and a few up tempo
-maybe one Sondheim near the middle or end
-a few simple ballads, jazzy, in the beginning
-one or two up-tempo (those are hard)
-one song where I tap dance or lyrical dance with a baton

Crazy ideas
-have a middle or high school dance troupe do some kind of Celine Dion Cirque number where they dance and do acrobatics while I sing a made-up power ballad. If it worked, that is something I would like to see

I know I want to do songs and things and moments I enjoy doing. Ballads, dramatic monolgues about weird stuff, dancing... One thought I had while I was panicking today about the show was that I might be panicking for no reason. I have time. I have some ideas. It might not be as hard as I think.

Involving the audience would make them have more fun because it would involve them and empower them to have a voice in the show. It might be fun to pull people out of the audience and sing to them. Ooh- what if I pulled a plant out of the audience and when I sat on his lap in the middle of the song I was singing, he jumps up, punches me and runs out. Then I sing a strong woman song.

2005-11-07T18:47:00.000-08:00

I'm in the Fringe! I just found out tonight. My email is not working because I was told by two people that they emailed me and I have not received anything from them, one being Beth Marshall, the Fringe head. I happened to walk by her office on my way to Soap Opera workshop (7-9pm SAK) and her door was open and she was there. My friend who knows her made me go in (Thanks!) and ask if I got in. There were warnings all over the website and in her emails to not contact her to ask if you got in, so I was weary at first. But she was super nice and told me I was in and that the reason I didn't receive any emails or calls is that I got drawn in the lottery early and got my first-choice venue. Woo hoo!

I'm really happy that I got through so easily. No venue change or number-of-shows change or anything. So, in May 2006 looks like I'll be doing a little Fringe show!

2005-10-24T19:13:00.000-07:00

I got a call from a friend around 5:45pm tonight asking if I'd heard anything about the drawing being cancelled. Apparently, people were showing up at the Fringe office, ready for the drawing, but no official Fringe people were there yet. It's 10pm right now and I just checked the Fringe site. Here's the note left on the homepage:

10/24/05 NEWS -Tonight's Fringe Lottery has been cancelled due to the hurricane and it will be rescheduled for a later date.

Dangit! I all this anxiety about whether I got in or not. Either way, I will be both happy and sad. If I get in, I will be happy that I am pushing myself WAY out of my comfort zone, sad because, well, let's face- there's a huge chance of complete embarrassment. Huge. Like, unrecoverably huge, bad, awful. And if I don't get in, I will be happy because I might have blown and now do not have to go through the humiliation, and sad because maybe it would have gone well. So, either way I win. Or lose. Or both.

I just added a counter to this blog, and my other blogs as well. I want to see if anyone is even reading this blog or not.

2005-10-22T17:53:00.000-07:00

Beth Marhsall, producing artistic director for the Orlando Fringe Festival, sent out an email today to Fringe applicants I thought I would share with you. I thought this would be of interest to those who might want to produce a show in the future and to those who are just curious as to how the Fringe works. I know I am.

Greetings 2006 Fringe Applicants~

Thank you all for submitting to the 2006 Orlando-International Fringe Theatre Festival. I am very excited about the potential of your offerings and truly will do my best to get each and every one of you into our festival and one of your desired venues.
As you know, the 2006 Orlando Fringe Lottery is scheduled to take place on Monday, Oct. 24, 2005 at 6pm SHARP! The lottery event is from 5:30-7pm. We encourage you all to come by and to get some snacks and drinks and witness the lottery. Terry Olson, Orlando Fringe Founder and overall O-Town arts GURU will be doing the honors of drawing at the OPEN-TO-THE-PUBLIC event!
The lottery will be held at 398 West Amelia Street at The Studio Theatre next to the Fringe offices. (FYI- it could cost you between $2-$10 to park in the parking garage depending on the events taking place that evening) I encourage you to arrive around 5:40pm in hopes to avoid having to pay. Unfortunately, Fringe has ZERO control over the parking garage and cannot validate parking tickets.
There will be pizza, snacks and drinks provided! This is a VERY casual and informal event. It takes all over 3 minutes to do the actual drawing itself, so be here by 6pm, should you wish to hear the whole lottery. PLEASE DON”T CALL THE FRINGE OFFICE ASKING ABOUT YOUR STATUS!!!! I will send out an e-mail to you all as soon as I have the answers to all your questions. Once you receive that e-mail, should you STILL have questions, please feel free to call me and I will gladly answer them. J

Here’s how our lottery works-

The Orlando Fringe, unlike most other Fringes is fortunate enough to now know ALL our venues going into the application process. You have submitted your application giving me info such as your 1st,2nd,3rd, choice venues and show lengths and number of desired shows.
These elements factor greatly into the lottery equation, as does your geographical location and of course, the greatest factor of all- good ole’ luck of the draw!!!!!!
Because you all have various show lengths, venue choices and desired number of shows, there is NO way for me to tell you 100% if you are in the festival, your desired venue and with your desired number of shows until we have the 100% random lottery and put you with a number from that lottery.

60% of our spaces are held for local (Central Florida artists)
40% of our spaces are for national and international artists- 10 of these slots are held for those applying through the CAFF touring lottery. Should all those 10 slots not be filled, they are opened up for other artists in international, national and local categories in that order. (For this lottery 7 are filled and 3 are available)
If you are drawn within the first 20 of the lottery, it is safe to say you are in the 2006 festival and most likely in you desired venue, with your desired number of shows.
Unless, the first 20 drawn all want the same venue as one another. (odds of this are so low-but possible)

Once the lottery has happened and a random number is associated with your show. I then go in order and place your show in a venue
based on your 1st choice. I do this until the time in each venue is maxed out. I then place you in your 2nd choice venue with your 1st choice of desired shows. If that venue is closed, I go to your 3rd choice. If that venue is closed, I call you and give you several options, less shows in desired venue, shorten your show, go to a 4th choice venue, if none of these work for you, Fringe refunds your money in full. If something else works for you, we invoice or reimburse whichever the case may be. Fringe also does reimbursements or invoices should you receive your 2nd or 3rd choice since you have paid for your 1st.
This process can get slowed down if you get called and do not contact me back in a prompt fashion. I am then unable to go to the next person in line without hearing back from you 1st. To avoid any confusion or long hold-ups, I am implementing a 24 hr. deadline to return the call I have made to you, should you not respond within that timeframe, I will go to the next person/group and you group will go to the last number. So it is VERY IMPORTANT TO RESPOND IMMEDIATELY TO A CALL REGARDING LOTTERY!!!

Once I have placed everyone that got in their applications by Oct. 15th I will then go on a first come first serve basis from the waitlist.
At the moment I have 60 lottery applicants and 3 waitlisters. Our numbers are already up from last year.

I hope this gives you all a greater understanding of how this whole “lottery- thing” works! Should you have any questions, please feel free to ask.

NOTE- IN THE EVENT THAT HURRICANE WILMA HAS HIT OR IS HITTING US AT THE TIME OF THE LOTTERY, WE OBVIOUSLY WILL RESCHEDULE! I will be in contact with you all as soon as possible.

I look forward to meeting you all and seeing some my locals at the lottery!!!!!!

2005-10-17T19:34:00.000-07:00

I just had an idea. What if i did a podcast of my rehearsals instead of video. Video is such a pain to get all up on my computer, then edit. Sound is easier it seems. And since this is a musical show, it lends itself to a sound-only format.

Next week is the drawing!

2005-10-16T04:49:00.000-07:00

SAK said I could use the video from Friday's shows on my website as long as the final video clips had a SAK logo in the lower right hand corner and a title frame with their name on it. It's a fair trade-off: I get video footage to promote my show, they get their name out there- you never know who's watching.

I had a couple random ideas while auditioning for SAK's soap opera yesterday. (By the way the soap starts in November in the 10pm weekend show slots). What if I had a "Madge" character like in the Dame Edna show? She'd be the oppostie of me, whatever that would be. If my character turned out to be a big shiney scene-stealing diva, she'd be homely and quiet and we could play off each other. And at some point the status could change.

My second idea was to have a "boyfriend" character. I'd describe some story and then we'd act it out and then I'd sing about it. Like, we'd be in the kitchen and I would be making his breakfast and he'd come in drunk and hit me and we'd fight. I'd end up cowered in the corner on the floor...and then I'd sing. Or maybe he wasn't that mean at all, and the audience could see it was me overreacting and thinking he was this horrible mean person when really, it was me who was the psycho. I just see some kind of theatrical thing going back and forth between monologue, then scene, then song. He could play many characters as well. A boss, a dance intructor, a doctor... or it could be several people playing them.

Keep your fingers crossed- Oct 24 is when they have the drawing to see who gets to be in the Fringe! i hope it's meeee!